Three St. Boniface Hospital Research leaders were recently recognized by the University of Manitoba with Merit Awards for Outstanding Teaching, Service to Community, Research & Scholarly work and Creative Services.
Dr. Annette Schultz, Principal Investigator focusing on Health Services & Structural Determinants of Health Research, and a Professor at the College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, was honored with the prestigious 2022 Merit Award in the Teaching category.
Highlights include Schultz’s efforts in teaching four courses and developing two new graduate level nursing courses in 2022, which focused on engaged research approaches and addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Actions on Indigenous education and health. In particular, her development of a unique and dynamic approach to traditional territories acknowledgment, and her collaborative efforts with Indigenous scholars, was noted.
Schultz’s dedication to exploring structural determinants of health is at the core of her research and teaching philosophy. Her program of research is deeply rooted in understanding the health services and policy context, aiming to expand the conventional understanding of health beyond biomedical perspectives. She meticulously examines the structural influences shaping health, including systemic racism, epistemological privileging, and colonial relations, among others.
As an independent Canadian academic researcher since 2005, Schultz has effectively led numerous national teams consisting of investigators, policy-makers, practitioners, community members, and Elders. Her commitment to nurturing the next generation of health research scholars is notable, which includes exploring Indigenous knowledge within the academic sphere.
Dr. Michael Czubryt, Executive Director of Research St. Boniface Hospital, Principal Investigator Molecular Pathophysiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Professor Department of Physiology, University of Manitoba was named recipient of the 2022 Merit Award in the Combination of Teaching, Service and Research, Scholarly Work and Other Creative Activities.
Notable accomplishments that led to this award include Czubryt’s research success, numerous grants and published works in a well-recognized and well-funded research program. Being named to a prestigious research chair in fibrosis research supported by an endowment fund and his commitment to service as demonstrated by his work on a variety of U of M committees, including Animal Care, were also highlighted. And lastly, his leadership as Executive Director of Research at St. Boniface Hospital and on several national and international committees, including as President and Executive Council member of the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences North American section were cited as exceptional examples of the award’s definition.
Czubryt’s research program focuses on the mechanisms of gene activation and repression in the heart, and how these regulatory processes contribute to or are altered in cardiovascular pathophysiology. His laboratory has made significant advances in understanding the transcriptional regulation of cardiac fibrosis, which not only adversely affects cardiac function and arrhythmogenesis, but is now recognized as a significant independent risk factor for heart failure and death due to cardiovascular causes. Recent efforts have focused on translating these discoveries to preclinical studies and the development of novel fibrosis inhibitors for the heart and other organs.
Dr. Miyoung Suh, Principal Investigator, Nutrition and Neurological Diseases, Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders, and Principal Investigator Nutrition and Neurological, Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, and Professor Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba received the 2022 Merit Award in the Combination of Teaching, Service and Research, Scholarly Work and other Creative Activities category.
In addition to developing four new highly-rated courses, Suh supervised 12 students in 2022 while promoting experiential learning by bringing students to Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) and The Pas so they could understand health care and nutritional landscape for northern and Indigenous residents. Attracting multiple grants from both local and national sources, Suh’s health research in diabetes, nutrition and traditional land-based diets has important implications for the health of Indigenous and north populations in Manitoba and across Canada. Suh’s on-going research involves studying the fundamental roles of dietary lipids in brain, retina, and testes/sperm under alcoholic, diabetic and obese conditions.
She has been awarded ‘Scientist of the Year’ by The Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies, which is given to a Korean scientist working abroad with significant contributions in their area of research. Her research in lipids and retina photoreceptors was specifically being recognized. Overall, her research outcomes provide a basis for the provision of optimal nutrition and development of diet strategies beneficial to the target clinical as well as the general population.